10 Reasons to Visit Lancaster, Pa.

Here's my article on the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which was taken from the Chester County Independent:

It is that time of year when the days grow shorter and nights longer. The air grows cooler and the leaves more colorful. Fall is also the time when we plan a long weekend or a road trip of several days. Although there are numerous places across America where tourists travel, none is more colorful than the Pennsylvania Dutch Country near Lancaster, Pa.

The following 10 activities are sure to tempt your family. Learn about our nation's history, participate in local festivals and fairs, and hitch a buggy ride with an Amish farm family. You will return with a sense of what make our country great!
• Pick your own pumpkin, apples, and produce at country farms. Or, stop by roadside stands and cart off baskets of fall bounty.

• Stroll by the Lancaster Art Walk, Oct. 4-5 and visit downtown art galleries. A bustling art community offers original art and crafts. You're welcome to browse, or make a purchase.

• Rent a scooter, motorcycle, or bicycle and ride through Amish farmland while crops are being harvested. Inhale the sweet fragrance of hay being harvested. Catch a whiff of a nearby apple orchard.

• Rise above the villages as you fly over the fall landscape in a hot air balloon. Many companies offer rides during this season of the year.

• Entertain the children on a working farm. Corn mazes, wagon rides, feeding baby animals and other adventures await your family.

• Attend a Whoopie Pie Festival at Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn. Fall festivals and event are scheduled throughout Lancaster County.

• Hire an Amish driver and buggy for a jaunt down a country back road.

• Ask directions to a nearby covered bridge. Photograph the wooden supports that have served generations of travelers.

• Marvel at the brilliant colors of fall foliage. You have never seen autumn leaves anywhere--like in this area of America.

• Revisit history in this charming location. Learn about the early Dutch and German settlers who left their homeland in search of a better life.

Lancaster, Pa., in the fall is a refreshing and peaceful place for family entertainment.

Carolyn Tomlin teaches writing workshops for the magazine market and is based in Jackson, Tennessee. Her full-length works are available for purchase here.